http://www.idiometry.com/Idiometryen-ushttp://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=50Just like the last entry, today's idiom is one I heard while watching an old Batman serial.  The phrase "coon's age" is used to describe a lengthy period of time.  According to The Straight Dope, its origin dates back to the 1800's when it was believed that racoons (or "coons") had very long lives.  Apparently the folks who used this phrase had never scientifically studied the average lifespan of a racoon, which is really only around 5 years in the wild.  Example:"I was pleasantly surprised the other day to run into Rick in the supermarket; I hadn't seen him in a coon's age!"http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=49Today's idiom is one I came across while watching an old Batman serial from 1943 (old films like those are often rife with idioms, which is one of the reasons I enjoy them so much).  The phrase "from hunger" is used to describe something that is lacking or poor in quality (much like the Batman serial I mentioned above).  I was unable to find a definite etymology, but most sources seemed to indicate the phrase has a rather literal origin; one who comes from hunger is most likely impoverished and in poor health.  Example:From a Slate article regarding the recent remake of the classic film The Stepford Wives: "Word of the movie's terribleness began to filter out months ago, and different endings were reportedly shot and tested. The one that's there now is from hunger: It's a miracle that the actors don't turn to the camera and roll their eyes or make little shadow bunnies."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=48Today's idiom, "play it close to one's vest," returns us to the previous category of poker.  To play it close to your vest (or chest, as it is sometimes said) means to keep something a secret.  The phrase comes from a poker player's keeping his cards close so that the other players can't see what he's holding.  Example:"Episodes of Jeopardy featuring Ken Jennings were filmed months in advance, but the live audience and those affiliated with the show were able to play it close to their vests by not revealing the outcome of his record-breaking streak before it finally aired."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=47Today's idiom is "step on it."  This phrase means to hurry or to act quickly.  Its origin comes from the use of the gas pedal in an automobile, where stepping on the pedal causes the automobile to speed up.  This phrase is a special type of idiom called a phrasal verb.  Phrasal verbs are formed by verbs and prepositions which when combined form a new meaning that is usually unrelated to the definitions of its parts.  Example:"Take this envelope to the post office, and step on it!  They close in 15 minutes!"http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=46Out of all the categories of idioms I have covered thus far, I would have to say the most underrepresented would have to be animals.  I wouldn't venture too far to guess why we have so many idioms dealing with animals, except to say that perhaps it is a result of the use of animals in every culture to represent certain human traits.  The tortoise and the hare, the sloth, the snake; all of these conjure up images of certain traits we either long for or abhor.  So, in case you haven't guessed already, today's idiom is animal-related.  The phrase "monkey on one's back" refers to an addiction, usually related to substance use.  As for the origin of the phrase, the Online Etymology Dictionary points to the Arabian tales of Sinbad the sailor.  In one of these tales, Sinbad is attacked by an ape who clings to his shoulders and refuses to let go.  Example:"Luke has tried several times to quit smoking, but he's always been unsuccessful.  Perhaps he will never get rid of the monkey on his back."Source: Online Etymology Dictionaryhttp://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=45For today's idiom, we will return to a previous topic: boxing.  To "throw one's hat into the ring" means to enter a contest or election.  As to its origin, the July 17, 2001 issue of Take Our Word For It gives the following explanation:As you might expect, it comes from the boxing ring (well, we supposed that some of you might have guessed the circus ring...). In the early 19th century, when boxing was quite popular, one who wished to challenge a boxer would throw his hat into the ring. This was probably necessitated by the crowds and noise at such events; you'd be missed if you simply tried to shout out a challenge or push your way through the crowd and into the ring. John Hamilton Reynolds wrote in The Fancy: "Throw in his hat, and with a spring get gallantly within the ring." This is from 1820 and is the first recorded use of the term.The phrase soon came to be used figuratively to mean "to enter a contest" and then "to enter a political contest". Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt used it in 1912:"My hat's in the ring", he said, meaning that he had entered the presidential race. Example: "Though many political analysts expect Hillary Clinton to run for president in 2008, she has not yet officially thrown her hat into the ring."Source: Take Our Word For Ithttp://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=44Hello everyone.  I know it's been a while since my last post, but I hadn't been feeling too well this past week.  Fortunately I feel a bit better now, so on with the idioms!Today's idiom is "burning the candle at both ends."  This phrase means to take on too many tasks or to be too busy for one's own good.  The analogy here is that if one lights a candle on each end, the candle will not only burn out twice as fast, but it is more likely to burn the person holding the candle as the two flames eventually meet in the middle.  Example:"Jason's been burning the candle at both ends recently; he not only works two jobs, but his wife just had their third child a few weeks ago."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=43Today's idiom is "Monday morning quarterback."  To play Monday morning quarterback means to criticize after an event has taken place.  During a football game, the quarterback must make split-second decisions based on his own judgment, the outcome of which can only be known after the game is over.  Since most important football games are played on Sundays, it isn't until Monday morning that people will have had time to analyze the game and can critique the quarterback's performance after the fact. Example:"It's easy to play Monday morning quarterback when criticizing companies who continued to invest in word processing machines in the 1970's while ignoring the all-purpose computer, but back then few people realized the popularity the home PC would gain in the coming decade."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=42Today's idiom is "sitting duck."  This phrase refers to something or someone who leaves himself open to attack or to criticism.  I am not aware of a precise origin, but I'm fairly confident that the phrase refers to duck hunting and the relative ease of shooting a duck while it is sitting in the water, as opposed to trying to shoot a duck while it is flying.  Example:"During yesterday's checkers match, Jack made a careless move by jumping his opponent's piece without realizing it was a trap, making his only king a sitting duck.  Needless to say, he lost the game."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=41Today's idiom is "whistle-blower."  This term describes one who alerts authorities to some wrongdoing by others.  Often this person was once involved in the wrongdoing but is then given a chance to save himself by telling on those in charge.  Typically a whistle-blower tries to keep a low profile for fear of retaliation by those he snitched on; just recently a man was beaten up for "blowing the whistle" on a former employer who was suspected to have taken part in some illegal financial activities.  Example:"During the height of the mafia, whistle-blowers were often believed to have been given 'cement shoes' (having their feet incased in concrete) and then thrown into a river; this of course helped encourage loyalty amongst one's fellow gangsters."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=40Today's idiom is one that I thought about as I saw a new marketing poster at work one day, then heard later that day on TV, so I couldn't just ignore it.  The phrase "elephant in the room" is used to describe a rather large, well-known problem that is usually intentionally overlooked or ignored, often because of some embarrassing, egotistical, or emotional reason.  Just as an elephant present in a small room should be an obvious sign that something is out of place, such a sizable glaring problem should draw immediate attention.  Example:"Everyone tried to be cheerful at Hank's birthday party, but it was hard to ignore the elephant in the room; Hank had just lost his job the day before, and everyone knew it."Link: "The Elephant In The Room" by Terry Kettering (a poem)http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=39In response to the recent revelation of W. Mark Felt as the famous political snitch known as "Deep Throat" during the Watergate scandal, today's idiom is "[insert word here]-gate."  Watergate, the famous incident in which several people from President Nixon's campaign broke into the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. and stole tape recordings from the opposing political party, is certainly the most famous political scandal of the 20th Century.  It is also the scandal which led to the first and only resignation of a president in U.S. history.  Since then, the prefix "-gate" has been used to denote any type of scandal, political or otherwise.  One example is "Monica-gate" or "Lewinski-gate," which refers to President Clinton's involvement with a young White House intern that led to his impeachment for perjury; if you watch the news with any regularity, you're certain to hear other examples from time to time.  The grammatical term for the usage of "-gate" as a suffix is called a "blend" or "portmanteau," which Webster defines as "a word or morpheme whose form and meaning are derived from a blending of two or more distinct forms."  Other suffixes that fit this definition are "-aholic" (from the word "alcoholic"), which refers to any type of addiction (such as "shopoholic" or "chocoholic"), and "-athon" (from the word "marathon"), which means a lengthy proceeding or activity (such as "phonathon" or "dancathon").http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=38When today's idiom was suggested to me the other day, I must admit I'd never heard it in this form before (though I have quite often heard another, more unsavory form of it).  The term "talk through one's hat" means to talk nonsense or speak about something one has no knowledge of.  As to its origin, the July 4, 2001 issue of The Word Detective gives this explanation:"'To talk through one's hat' was apparently a widespread idiom by the late 1880s meaning 'to talk nonsense,' although it initially seems to have carried the added connotation of 'to lie.' The precise logic and origins of the phrase are unclear. One theory, perhaps reflecting the earlier 'to lie' meaning, maintains that the phrase refers to men in church who hold their hats over their faces while feigning prayer. Another possibility is that the phrase refers, as you say, to the emptiness of the hat atop one's head, as if one were thinking and speaking with an empty head. It's also possible that 'talk through one's hat' is an oblique reference to another phrase, 'to talk off the top of one's head,' meaning to speak speculatively, without thorough consideration."Example: "Larry was obviously talking through his hat when he said it was going to rain Thursday; the local meteorologist predicted sunshine, and she was right.  We didn't have one drop of rain that day."Source: The Word Detectivehttp://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=37The last in the theme of musical idioms this week is "sing a different tune."  Often the phrase is used to simply imply a change one has made.  More specifically, though, it sometimes means to change one's opinion or outlook because of some new experience or change in circumstances, often because the beliefs one had held about others now affects himself.  Example:"Greg always felt someone should do something about all the litter on his city's roads, but he started singing a different tune when he was given the opportunity to come in to work on Saturday and help pick up trash along the highway."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=36Today's idiom is "music to my ears," which refers to good news or a pleasant experience.  The phrase is most likely an abbreviated form of the phrase "like sweet music to my ears," which makes the meaning a bit more apparent.  Example:"After having a long, busy week, hearing that we had Monday off was music to my ears."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=35Today's idiom is "play it by ear."  In the musical sense, the phrase means to play a melody without a formal arrangement, relying on the ears to find the right notes instead of written music.  Jazz is almost always played by ear in that the musical performances of the genre are usually improvised around a common motif which each musician loosely follows.  In the more general, non-musical sense, "playing it by ear" has come to mean to act without plans or rules.  Example:"When I thought of the musical theme for this week, I didn't have any particular idioms in mind.  I figured I'd just play it by ear and see what I could come up with."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=34Today's musical idiom is "end on a high note."  This phrase means to bring an event, such as a presentation or speech, to a positive or satisfying conclusion.  Often a song from an opera or a classical orchestral arrangement will end on a note high in the musical range, resolving to the root chord and bringing the song to an exciting end.  There is also an opposite to this one: to end an event "on a sour note" is to bring that event to an unfortunate conclusion, often in spite of a hopeful result.  Example:"Jack ended today's meeting on a high note: as a reward for a job well done on our latest product release, he gave us all the rest of the day off."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=33Today begins a new theme for this week: musical idioms.  Music is completely ingrained in our culture (as it is with most cultures), so it is only natural that we use it as a metaphor for many aspects of our lives.  There are certainly many more musical idioms than the ones I'll be mentioning this week, so as an example in futility, I will present just a few.Today's idiom is "toot your own horn."  This phrase is used to describe the act of bragging or calling attention to one's own actions in a boastful manner.  Throughout history, royalty around the world have been introduced by the blowing of horns to signify their majesty.  To toot one's own horn, therefore, is to declare one's own majesty or greatness.  Example:"Despite the fact that many of us already feel that Bill is one of the best grocery baggers at the supermarket, he still feels he must toot his own horn every once in a while just to remind us."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=32Today's idiom is "drink the Kool-Aid," a phrase used to describe the act of believing something devoutly and without question.  This phrase comes from a cult led by Christian fanatic Jim Jones, who in 1978 led a mass suicide of his followers by giving them fruit punch laced with cyanide (side note: the fruit punch that was drunk during the incident was actually a brand called Flavor Aid; however, Kool-Aid is quite often used as the generic term for any kind of uncarbonated fruit soft drink).  Example:"Many film critics gave bad reviews for both sequels to the Wachowski brothers' hit sci-fi film 'The Matrix,' but that did not stop devoted fans who had drunk the Kool-Aid of the original movie from seeing the final two."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=30Today's idiom is "laundry list."  Literally, this phrase means what it says: a list of clothing items one is to wash.  In the idiomatic sense, the phrase has come to describe a list of great length, typically of tasks one is to perform, requirements for a particular task, or reasons for a point of view.  Example:"During the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther authored his now-famous 95 Theses, a laundry list of criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church and its teachings."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=29Today's idiom is one that I myself have just learned.  The term "eat your own dog food" may sound gross, but it's actually an industry term for the practice of a company's using the products they create for their own use.  A good example of this is when Microsoft builds a new version of Windows; they are using their own development tools and previous versions of Windows on their computers to do the development.  A company who has enough faith in their products to use them themselves shows the client that their products are reliable.  The term originates from Alpo dog food commercials when the actor Lorne Greene would tell TV viewers the dog food was so good he would feed it to his own dogs.  Example:"Sony proved they don't always eat their own dog food when they finally added support for the MP3 format to their latest MiniDisc players, breaking away from their previous practice of only supporting their proprietary ATRAC format."Source: Wikipediahttp://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=28Today's idiom is "also-ran."  This phrase refers to a loser in a race or competition whose performance was significantly poorer than the winner's, almost to the point of making no difference in the competition's outcome.  The term originated with dog and horse racing, where the dogs or horses who earned money for those who bet on them would be mentioned first, after which the animals who also ran would be mentioned.  In everyday speech, the term is often used in politics and marketing.  Example:"Ralph Nader, having been an also-ran in the 2000 presidental race, hoped to garner more favor among young, disenfranchised voters in 2004."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=27I'm returning to a previous theme today with another poker-related idiom.  The reason for this is because I overheard my cube-mate using it while talking to another co-worker and realized I left this very popular one out.  Today's idiom is "follow suit."  This term describes the act of mimmicking the actions of another or to take the next logical step in a sequence of events.  The term refers to playing a card of the same suit during a card game (a deck of cards is made up of four suits: diamonds, hearts, clubs, and spades).  Example:"When President Bush ignored the advice of the United Nations and declared war in Iraq, he hoped that other countries would follow suit and join the U.S.  One notable example is Great Britain, who has been our ally during the entire conflict."Related link: Follow Suit - a blog about poker.http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=1Today's pugilistic idiom is "saved by the bell."  This phrase means to be saved from a dangerous or compromising situation by some intervening force.  In boxing, every round ends with the sound of a bell ringing.  In a situation where a fighter is knocked to the mat and is about to be counted out for a knockout, he can be "saved by the bell" if the bell rings and the round ends while he is down, giving him a chance to rest before the next round. Example: "Bill was saved by the bell when the meeting ended for lunch; he was scheduled to give a demo of his product that he wasn't yet finished with." "Saved By The Bell" is the title of a popular 90's comedy TV show about six teenagers who dealt with the everyday problems of going to high school.  In this case, the phrase was used as a pun; the students would be "saved by the bell" when the school bell rang, signaling the end of class.http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=2Hello everyone.  Today I've decided to add a new feature to every idiom I give.  When possible, I'm going to include an example where the day's idiom is used in popular culture, whether it be a title of a TV show, a film, a candy, etc.  I also encourage any of you to let me know when/if you see the idiom being referenced in day-to-day life. Now it's time for another boxing-themed idiom.  Enjoy the violence :) Today's idiom is "punch-drunk."  This term means to act as if one is dazed or in a state of confusion.  The term comes from a condition of the same name which is caused by repeated blows or punches to the head (inherent in the sport of boxing itself), resulting in brain damage.  Muhammad Ali, a famous boxer, was diagnosed with Pugilistic Parkinson's syndrome (the medical term for this condition; "pugilist" means "boxer") in 1982; other boxers in the past, such as Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis, were also diagnosed with this disease. The term recently appeared in the title of the Adam Sandler film "Punch-Drunk Love." Example: "Tripp looked totally punch-drunk after having gone three straight days without sleeping."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=17I thought about this week's theme while watching a boxing match on HBO this weekend.  I realized that quite a lot of our popular slang comes from boxing (or at least a week's worth, which is good enough for my theme :)  So if you haven't figured it out yet, this week's theme is boxing.   Today's idiom is "on the ropes."  This phrase is used to refer to something in an undesirable or precarious position; it can also refer to something which is waning in popularity.  When a boxer is punched and knocked down, he will often fall against the ropes of the boxing ring in the process.  This usually happens when the boxer becomes tired and is losing strength.  Example: "Nintendo was at one time the king of the home video game console, but they have been on the ropes recently as companies like Sony and Microsoft have begun to cater to older gamers with more disposable income.  Nintendo, on the other hand, still tends to cater to younger gamers."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=18Today's idiom is "asleep at the wheel" (I thought about this one this morning as I groggily drove myself to work).  This phrase describes someone who has missed a very important opportunity or made a careless mistake which could have easily have been avoided, usually because the person either was not paying attention or just didn't see the warning signs.  The phrase more than likely comes from the act of falling asleep while driving, which can have some dire consequences.  Example: "Bill must have been asleep at the wheel last year when he forgot to buy his wife a present for her birthday; she still reminds him about it to this day."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=19I thought about today's idiom yesterday whilst stuck in traffic on the way home after work.  The phrase "par for the course" is used to describe unfortunate side-effects when dealing with a certain situation.  The phrase originates from golf terminology, where "par" is a standard score for a hole or course by which golfers' scores are measured.  While one relatively easy hole may have a par of 2 or 3 strokes, a more difficult hole with sand traps or ponds may have a par of 4 or 5.  The higher par on more difficult holes means even a good player is expected to not perform as well as on other holes (in golf, a higher score means poorer performance).  Applying this analogy to everyday life, then, one can say that in certain situations, one will always perform relatively poorly because of certain hinderances inherent in that situation.  Example: "When I moved to Summerville, I was able to buy a great house for less money than I would have been able to in Mt. Pleasant or West Ashley.  Unfortunately, the commute to work is rather lengthy and traffic is usually backed up, but I guess that's just par for the course."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=20Hello all!  It's been about a week since the last idiom...maybe I should rename the group "Idiom o' the Semi-fortnight" instead :) Today's idiom is "walk and chew gum."  The phrase is used to describe a person's coordination (or lack of it).  If someone can walk and chew gum at the same time, it means they can handle multiple tasks at once with ease.  If not, they're probably quite clumsy and unorganized.  I'm not really sure about the origin, and I couldn't find any information on it, so you'll just have to use your imagination I guess.  Example: "Often a manager will give an employee an assignment regardless of how much other work he has scheduled, and will still expect that employee to get all of those tasks done promptly.  In the business world, you definitely need to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=21Today's idiom is "to burn out."  The phrase can mean two things.  One meaning is to spin one's tires when pressing the accelerator on a car too hard while the car is stopped, causing the rubber on the tires to "burn" from the friction caused by its spinning while pressed against the pavement.  The tires eventually gain traction and the car zooms forward.  You may have seen kids do this at stop lights to attract attention to their cars or trucks.  I guess they think it makes them look cool :)  Example: "Woah, did you see that guy burn out at the starting line the other day?  He left the other racers in the dust!" (The phrase "in the dust" is an interesting phrase, too.  See if you can guess the origin of that one.) The phrase's other use is a more common one, that being to describe the state of having a lack of enthusiasm for one's job, usually caused by high levels of stress.  A lot of time you'll hear about computer programmers burning out because of the pressure and long hours they often work.  The phrase probably originates from how a flame expires when a candle goes out after running out of wax or a lamp when it runs out of oil.  Example: "A few years ago, my brother was so burned out from managing restaurants, he completely changed his profession.  Now he's a construction worker."Another phrase with the same origins as "burn out" is "at the end of my wick," which means that one's patience has run out with a certain problem, seemingly every possible solution has been explored, and frustration has taken over.  Example: "I'm at the end of my wick trying to fix this bug ticket.  I've tried everything and nothing works.  Help!!!"http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=26Today's idiom is "whipping boy."  The phrase is used to refer to a person or thing which takes punishment in the place of another.  The term originates from medieval Europe, during which time a whipping boy was traditionally raised along with a prince or nobleman and was punished whenever the prince or nobleman misbehaved.  Example: "Cigarette manufacturers have long been the whipping boy for lung cancer, but lately there has been an increase in reports of lung cancer caused by other factors, such as asbestos and radon." Also note that the word "scapegoat" is a synonym of this phrase and is also commonly used in the English language.http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=25Hello, all.  Today we will look at two idioms: "Heads up" and "hands-on."  "Heads up" has a pretty literal origin; it was and still is used to warn someone of something that's in the air and could potentially land on the person's head.  Since you have limited time to warn someone of this, you can't really say "Hey, there!  You may want to look up because there's a projectile that may be coming towards you!"  In this case, the phrase "Heads up!" is basically what you would yell instead.  It's used a lot at sporting events by fans to warn other fans of a stray ball headed their way.  It's kind of worked its way into our vernacular and now often times means that you will notify someone when something is about to occur.  Example: "I'm not sure what time the FedEx guy will arrive today; just go about your normal business and I'll give you the heads up when I see the truck pull up to the building." "Hands-on" is a phrase used to describe the act of having an integral part in the development of a certain thing.  The phrase means that a person has literally had their hands on the product or process in question.  Example: "At Acme, Inc., their managers are very hands-on, often taking on development projects themselves when other staff is too busy." You'll also often hear the phrase "hands-on experience" which means that you've actually worked in the field you have experience in, as opposed to a purely academic knowledge of that field.  Example: "Because so many people are now attending college and getting college degrees, companies often look for students with hands-on experience, such as internships or part-time work, to decide on the right candidate."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=24Today's idiom is "one-up."  To "one-up" someone means to do something slightly better than another person, usually done out of spite to make that person look inadequate.  Example: "I was feeling pretty good about fixing 10 bug tickets in one day, until one of my jealous co-workers had to one-up my by fixing 11 the next day.  Unfortunately for him, 7 of them failed and he had to fix them again."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=23Hello all.  I trust you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are overjoyed to be back at work!  Of course I'm just kidding about that last part :) Today's idiom is "shoot yourself in the foot."  The phrase means to take a course of action which ultimately ends up hurting your cause instead of helping it, usually because the actions were not thought out fully or were executed prematurely.  The phrase probably originated in the days when men would carry guns in holsters strapped around their waists, like in the American Western films.  If the gun-toter tried to pull his gun out too quickly, he could mistakenly pull the trigger while the gun is still in its holster, and if he were really unlucky, the gun may be pointed at his foot when it goes off.  Example: "I think I may have shot myself in the foot when I bought these cheap windshield wipers.  I thought they would save me money, but instead they scratched up my windshield, so now I have to pay to get the whole windshield replaced!"http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=22Hello folks.  Today's the last work day of the week, so this will be the last idiom of this week.  That also means that tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so those of you who are traveling, I hope you have a great trip and that you return safely. Today's idiom is "straight from the horse's mouth."  The phrase refers to information that you know is accurate and has either come from the source or as close to the source as possible.  The phrase originates from the practice bettors used to use to judge a horse before a race.  Often it was difficult to tell a horse's age or physical fitness by just looking at the horse's body, so rather than trusting the owner of the horse for this information, the bettor would actually look in the horse's mouth; the reason for this is that condition of the horse's teeth is a good indicator of the horse's age.  Example: "There have been quite a few rumors going around that Bob is going to quit his job, but I heard it straight from the horse's mouth; his last day is Tuesday." A similar phrase is "never look a gift horse in the mouth."  The phrase is said when someone receives a gift, and means the receiver of a gift should trust the giver and not insult him by questioning the quality of the gift.  The phrase again comes from looking at a horse's mouth to judge the quality of the horse, but in this case, since someone is giving the horse as a gift, the receiver should not be so picky.http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=16Today's idiom is "cleaned his clock," which means to punch or beat someone severely.  This one is quite odd and its origins are disputed among the sources I found.  One explanation is that the phrase started out describing someone who lost a lot of money during gambling.  From Cassell's Dictionary of Slang:  "[from] US railroad jargon GÇÿclean the clock,GÇÖ to apply the airbrakes and thus bring the train to a sudden stop. The GÇÿclockGÇÖ in question is the air gauge, which on halting, immediately registers zero and is thus GÇÿclean.GÇÖ"  Another explanation given by the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms states that the phrase originated in the military, and the word "clock" alludes to "face."  Example: When Ron Artest was hit by a fan with a cup full of beer, he jumped into the seats and started punching the first fan he saw; he really cleaned that guy's clock, even though the fan Artest attacked didn't even deserve it."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=15Today's idiom is "no use crying over spilled milk."  The phrase means don't worry about relatively unimportant things that go wrong, especially if there's nothing that can be done about it.  When the milk spills, all you can really do is just clean it up and move on.  Example: "I got a little upset today when I was standing in line and the person in front of me stepped on my toe, scuffing my brand new shoes, but then I realized there's no use crying over spilled milk; they were going to get scuffed eventually anyway, and nothing stays new forever."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=14Today's idiom is "comparing apples to oranges."  This phrase means to compare two disparate items between which neither one could be said to be better than the other.  It is said that one cannot compare apples to oranges because they each have unique qualities that cannot be measured against each other.  To compare the two, one would have to make the argument that the tangy orange is better than sweet apple, both of which are dependent on the taster's own preferences.  Example: "Comparing music to sculpture is like comparing apples to oranges; while they are both art, they each serve different purposes, and certainly no one can say which is better."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=13In honor of the superfluity of primates which inhabits India and my fascination with that fact, today's idiom is "I'll be a monkey's uncle."  The phrase is used to show disbelief or surprise and originated some time after Charles Darwin's theories of evolution were first published.  His theory that man evolved from apes was so laughable and incredible to some that many people began using this phrase to show the absurdity of it.  (I'd like to note that there is a bit of irony in this idiom, since according to the theory of evolution, humans descended from apes, not the other way around; if I had been given the task of creating an idiom of this sort, I perhaps would have gone with the more chronologically accurate "I'll be a monkey's nephew" instead.  But I digress.)  Example: "Well I'll be a monkey's uncle!  I would never have thought that chickens couldn't fly!"http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=12First off, I'm sorry that I've been delinquent in my idiomatic duties this week, but I've had an unusually busy week.  I know I also mentioned a competition where I would give a series of idioms along with one I made up myself and give a prize to the person or people who could guess which one is mine; hopefully I'll be able to start that next week. Anyway, today's idiom is "like a broken record."  This phrase comes from the days where record albums were the common medium used for distributing music, and is used to describe someone who keeps repeating the same thing over and over.  As you all probably know, the way a record works is that as the record turns on the record player, the stylus (needle) sits in the groove of the album and vibrates, sending those vibrations as an electrical signal to an amplifier so they can be heard.  The groove starts at the outer edge of the record and spirals towards the center of the record, and as the record turns, it guides the stylus inward until it reaches the center.  Often, though, if a record got scratched or cracked, the stylus would hit the scratch and not progress inward, causing it to play the same area of the record with each revolution.  Example: "When I was a child, my mom always sounded like a broken record; she would tell me to clean up my room and brush my teeth every single day, wether I had already done it or not."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=11Today will be the last in the line of poker-themed idioms.  I hope you all have enjoyed them. Today's idiom is "force his hand."  This phrase means to expose an opponent's faults by challenging them, whereas otherwise the opponent's faults would have remained hidden.  The phrase comes from when a poker player "bluffs," meaning the player has no good cards with which he could win the game but makes a bet as if he did hoping that will cause his opponent to "fold" (give up).  However, his opponent makes the same bet, forcing that player to show his cards and thus lose the game.  Example:  "Billy used to claim he was the strongest kid on the playground, but when Jenny forced his hand and challenged him to an arm wrestling contest, she beat Billy and showed that he was really just lying." A similar phrase is "call his bluff," with the same origins as explained above.http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=10In keeping with this week's poker theme, today's idiom is "stacked deck."  This phrase is used to describe a situation in which no matter what happens, you lose.  It comes from the practice where a cheating dealer in a card game would "stack" the deck, which means arranging the cards in a way so as to give the dealer an advantage.  Example: "The presedential election this year is pretty much a stacked deck; no matter who gets elected, we probably won't be any better off than we were during the previous administration." A variation on this phrase is "cards stacked against me," which basically means the same thing: "I tried playing basketball when I was a kid, but since I was so much shorter than the other players, the cards were always stacked against me."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=9Because of the current popularity of televised celebrity poker-playing, as well as the recent poker competition that took place here at Blackbaud last week, I've decided this week to focus on idioms whose origins are from the game of poker.   Today's idiom is "ace in the hole."  The term refers to a hidden or secret advantage someone may have when competing, whether in sports, business, or any other area of everyday life.  Because an ace is the most valuable card in poker (as well as in many other card games), a cheating player will often hide an ace somewhere (such as in a hole or crevice in the card table), to be surreptitiously placed in a cheater's hand during a game, giving that player an unfair advantage.  Example: "Many people thought Al Gore would win Florida in the 2000 presidential election, but they didn't count on Bush's ace in the hole: his brother Jeb was the governor of the state, and Secretary of State Katherine Harris, who stopped the recount, was also Bush's camaign manager in Florida."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=8Hello folks.  After a brief respite (cause by my being extremely busy the last couple days), here's another installment of "Idiom o' the Day."  Today's idiom is "irons in the fire."  This phrase is used to describe other options one may have when faced with failure.  I'm not totally sure of the origin, but I would imagine it probably came from when a blacksmith would be fashioning a sword or something out of a piece of raw iron and would make a mistake, he would simply take another iron from the kiln and start over.   Example: "It's unfortunate that my job selling carpet didn't work out, but I've got other irons in the fire.  I'll probably pursue dancing or art and see if that works out."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=7Today's idiom is "barking up the wrong tree."  This phrase is used to describe someone who is making an incorrect assumption or using the wrong methods to solve a problem.  The phrase comes from the situation where a dog is chasing another animal (i.e. a cat or a squirrel), and that animal climbs a tree to escape from the dog.  The dog doesn't see which tree the animal has climbed, so he just assumes it is a certain tree and starts barking up that tree, while the animal sits safely in the branches of another.  Example: "If you're asking me for money, you're barking up the wrong tree; I'm broke and won't get paid until Friday."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=6The idiom for today is "break a leg."  Ironically, the phrase is a term used in show business to wish good luck.  The concept behind it is that if you tell someone to do a good job, that will jinx the person and will cause him to do poorly.  If you wish something bad on the person, though, the person will do well because in this case the jinx will be for the better.   Example: "Madhuri, your dance routine is up next; break a leg!"http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=5Today's idiom is relatively new and may be somewhat obscure to those not familiar with American television.  The idiom is "jump the shark," which means to try to create interest in something with waning popularity, but in doing so, insuring that the thing will become even more unpopular.  The phrase actually originated from an episode of "Happy Days," an American TV situation comedy from the 1970's.  When the show's viewership began to decline near the end of the series, the producers decided they needed something exciting to happen in the show that would get viewers to tune in.  The idea they came up with was that during an episode of the show, one of the main characters, Fonzie, was to perform an amazing feat by water-skiing onto a ramp and jumping over a shark in the water below.  This episode was seen as ridiculuous by its viewers, and ever since then, when a TV show does something outrageous to bring in more viewers, the show is said to have "jumped the shark."  The phrase originally only pertained to television, but is now used to describe any type of gimmick or promotion that ends up actually hurting the franchise it was designed to help.  Example: "Coca-Cola jumped the shark in the mid-1980's when they introduced a product called New Coke.  The product was supposed to energize slumping sales by giving the consumer something new.  Even Coke's most devout fans were not impressed by the taste of the new drink, however, and many stopped drinking Coke all together.  This led to a further decline in sales and caused Coke to create yet another new product called 'Classic Coke' (which was what Coke was before the change)."http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=4Today's idiom is "shot in the dark."  It's usually used to describe a solution or an attempt at a solution to a problem with no easy or obvious remedy.  The phrase comes from the image of someone with a gun trying to shoot something they can't see, so they take a shot in the dark hoping for the chance that the bullet will happen to hit the intended target.   Example: "Terry and I had been trying to fix a problem with my computer that had confounded us for days.  We finally took a complete shot in the dark and turned the computer off and back on again.  We're not really sure what the true cause of the problem was, but rebooting fixed it." Similar phrases:"Wild guess," "Take a stab at"http://www.idiometry.com/entries/entryview.aspx?ID=3"Left a bad taste in my mouth" means that something has left a bad memory or impression.   Example: "A few years ago when I went skiing, I fell and broke my leg.  That experience left a bad taste in my mouth; I haven't gone skiing since then."